Sunday, November 13, 2011

I'm starting to notice a trend here -- a serious lack of blogging and when I finally do, it's way later than I had planned...

So, Samuel is 5 months old now. How can that be?!?! It feels like he was 5 weeks old just yesterday. I would love for time to slow down already. It's been an absolute joy being able to watch him grow as each day passes.

To recap a few things that have been going on around here with our 5 month old...

- He's finding his voice and reminding us all too well that he has one. He's not typically a screamer, but he loves to talk, razz, laugh, and if overly-tired, cry a bit.

- We've caught ourselves calling him Jake a couple times. Can't help it. It just comes out. I'm sure if Jake were here, we'd still do it. Kind of like when I refer to a sister and can't get the name straight. Deb, I mean, Jen...ugh...no, I mean, Rach. It just happens, right?

- He eats enough for 3 babies. Okay, okay...it just feels that way! It seems as though he's recently nearly doubled his milk intake. Just call him a little piggy.

- Speaking of food/eating, his hands seem to be his favorite meal. He's always chewing on them and trying to stick his entire fist (or fists) in his mouth.

- He has officially been diagnosed as a "happy spitter." The little man spits up like crazy, but has been checked for allergies, acid reflux, etc. Nothing. He just likes to give back a little bit (or a lot) of what we've given him...all throughout the day. As a result, he continues to live in bibs.

- He's not a fan of naps. We've known this for awhile now, but it's becoming more and more apparent with each passing day. There have been a few days recently where we were lucky if he napped for 30 minutes -- I suppose he wants to be where the party's at! He's a champ during the night, though! We've even let him put himself to bed over the last week -- putting him in there when he's still awake and we can hear as he talks to himself until he passes out. Go, Sam!

- He still hates tummy time and usually wins the fight after 5 minutes of letting us know how much he hates it.

- He has a mighty grip. I've recently been the victim of hair pulling -- James is a bit lucky in that department. Also, if we have something in our lap, he'll grab it and then drop it on the floor. It's fun to watch as he's starting to pay more attention to his toys -- still no interest in his feet, though!

- Best part of my morning...finding Sam in bed, grinning from ear to ear, ready to roll over on demand. If I ask him to roll over, he gets a big smile on his face and then rolls to his left. It's always his left. He's no fool though, as he'll do a half roll over and just go to his side and back again and then look at me waiting for the encouraging, "Yaaaaayyyyy!!!!", as he grins and does it again.

- Not only can he go in reverse in his car (walker), but he can now go sideways. While I was making dinner the other night, he kept driving into Oba's bed from the side -- Oba eventually gave up and left for another comfy place in the living room.

- Lastly, he not only smiles to the Black Eyed Peas song, but he now laughs. I have yet to capture that on video, but I hopefully will soon! I need to do it when James is home so he can hit record.

I know it's sounding like documenting our 5 month old's growth and development is all that goes on around here, but it's not. It just seems to be what's making the cut for the blog today (or most days). We've had our fair share of days of grief, joy, stress, etc. We have many times where one of us will mention how crazy/wonderful life would be if there was an almost 2 year old trying to play with her baby brother. Or a 2nd grader coming home from school, etc. We try not to let those thoughts consume us, but they are most definitely there. So in the midst of it all, every little thing that Sam does/experiences brings absolute joy to our hearts. Our little miracle. I'm so glad he's here. It sure makes the stressful moments in life a bit easier to bear.

A bit random, but before I post an insane amount of pictures, I must say that while mentioning our moments of grief and thinking about the fact that Samuel IS our hope...It made me think of a movie that we Redbox'ed last night. Soul Surfer. Great movie. It's definitely a wonderful message of hope in the midst of suffering. You should rent it if you haven't already seen it!

Now...on to some pictures -- mostly from my cell phone this time around and apparently while he was mostly in his pajamas...

A rare moment of enjoying tummy time...

Reaching out in his sleep...

Enjoying a morning walk in the park...

Admiring himself in the mirror...

Obadiah joined in on one of our afternoon walks...

The boy loves to move around in his bed...

What I see every morning...

His usual hangout while I make dinner...

Getting ready for our day...

And here are his 5 month chair pictures...

First, he wanted to eat the chair...

Then he wanted to lift his legs and test out his strength...

Then we got a little smile...

Then the big one...

This one just cracked us up. Our little drooler...

And if you're still reading, here's a video taken from my cell phone while we were eating dinner...